Los Angeles’ budget priorities are under scrutiny due to cuts to the city’s Fire Department ahead of the devastating fires, and many people have sounded the alarm early. (fox)
Los Angeles’ budget priorities continue to face scrutiny over cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), after several people warned officials before… Ongoing wildfires in Southern California Department cuts can have serious consequences.
Mayor Karen Bass The fire department’s budget was reduced More than $17 million last year, a move that drew heavy criticism after multiple fires broke out in the area earlier this month, resulting in untold property losses and the deaths of more than two dozen people.
Mayor Karen Bass cut the LAFD’s budget by $17 million last year. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/Getty Images)
In May of last year, LAFD Chief Christine Crowley warned: “We are at a breaking point where firefighters can no longer do more with less.”
Crowley went on to formally demand funding to hire more firefighters. Data show that the LAFD is severely understaffed compared to other major cities, with less than one firefighter for every 1,000 residents. The recommended level is 2.5 firefighters per 1,000 residents.
Plumes of smoke are seen as a wildfire burns in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 7, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The chief also requested the appointment of mechanics to the department as dozens of pieces of equipment remained idle. Then just last month, Los Angeles City Council member Tracy Park noted, “We have multi-million dollar platforms sitting in the yard with no mechanic to fix them.”
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As FOX News reported, while next year’s budget calls for more mechanics and replacement vehicles, the LAFD also wants an additional $5 million for electric vehicle charging stations and nearly $2 million for “Diversity and inclusion plan“.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., comments on criticism of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom over their response to the wildfires and gives his take on the SALT cap debate.
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Perhaps the most dire warning came last month from Freddy Escobar, president of the United Firefighters union in Los Angeles, who told the council weeks before the fires: “If we cut off one site, if we shut down one station, if we shut down one source.” , residents Los Angeles “They will pay the ultimate sacrifice and someone will die.”
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